LB/OC Women Rising will host its first Women’s Wave Weekend, a three-day event from Oct. 7-9 filled with political activism, voting registration information and a protest ending at Harvey Milk Park. Residents will get the chance to create posters, write and send postcards and march through Long Beach in the name of reproductive rights.
The weekend is being hosted by LB/OC Women Rising in unison with the nationwide movement of women’s marches occurring throughout the United States. According to the Women’s March website, roughly 250 reproductive rights events are currently being planned for the same weekend.
“It’s abortion today, but Republicans are already talking about taking away people’s rights for same-sex marriage,” said Ashlie Brady, communications coordinator for LB/OC Women Rising. “We just all need to come together and fight for all of our rights.”
The weekend of Oct. 7-9 marks 30 days until the midterm elections, where voters will select state, local and national leaders for their new terms.
On Friday, Oct. 7, Women Rising will be at El Dorado Park West from 5 to 7 p.m., helping residents fill out and send postcards to surrounding neighborhoods. The postcards will advocate for Democrat Jay Chen to unseat Republican Michelle Steel for California’s 48th district in the House of Representatives. Steel was one of many Republicans to co-sponsor the Life at Conception Act, which would ban all abortions after 15 weeks.
“Michelle Steel is in the seat and she is not somebody who fights for our rights,” Brady said. “We’re trying to have Jay Chen elected, he would flip that seat blue and he does have our interests.”
Brady explained that Women Rising endorses and canvasses for Chen’s election every Saturday. Postcards made on Oct. 7 will serve to notify voters about the upcoming elections, specifically Chen’s campaign.
Attendees will also be able to make posters for the Reproductive Rights March taking place on Saturday, Oct. 8. The march will begin at the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 2 p.m. and will end at Harvey Milk Promenade Park, where a community and activism fair will be held until 5 p.m.
There are six organizations that have reserved tables at the fair, including LB Disability Pride, NARAL Pro-Choice SoCal Action Committee, Planned Parenthood, Stonewall Democrats and Josh Lowenthal’s team.
“We want our events to be inclusive and empowering,” Brady said. “I think that’s what I want people to take away from the fair—is having their vote, having their voices heard, taking back control, and making sure that they have that knowledge and that power to get their vote out there and to get their voice out there.”
Brady said that Women Rising is also attempting to get a law firm to table at the fair to inform residents on their voting rights.
Women Rising will set up voting registration booths around the city on Sunday, Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with locations still being decided.
Residents planning on attending any of the Women’s Wave Weekend events in Long Beach can register or sign up to volunteer on the organization’s Linktree. Registering is not mandatory to attend, though those who sign up will receive updates on any changes and will help Women Rising to gauge how many supplies to provide.
“In every state people are marching to demand change and reminding those who don’t protect our freedoms that they can be removed,” Brady said. “We need to take it to the streets and then we can take it to ballots.”
